Aging: 3 Reasons We Age and Negative Beliefs about Your Skin
Aging is inevitable.
We begin to age the moment we are born!
No matter what we do to fight it, we are going to age.
I find it most interesting that some people age slowly and some people age fast! Why is that? Today we are going to cover the causes as well as some useful tools you can start to use today to help you minimize this process.
Oftentimes, we feel younger than we look! As I approach 45 next month, I look at it as another number, because I don’t feel like I’m in my mid-40s! I feel young, healthy, and active. I’m blessed to have been an esthetician for over 20 years knowing how to properly care for my skin to keep it young and healthy-looking.
Let’s dig into the reasons why you age
Reason #1 – The Natural Aging Process
The natural process is called Intrinsic Aging. This process begins between the ages of 25-30 when we begin to lose collagen. At first, we don’t notice it, but by the time we hit our mid to late 30s, we begin to see signs.
Collagen loss depletes by 1% every year. Our job with products and treatments is to strengthen the collagen we have left.
Think of collagen as the foundation of your house. When we use skincare products, we are working at the surface level. But say you are trying to rehab an old house with a cracked foundation. What is going to happen if you fix the house but not the cracked foundation?
This is the same concept with our skin! If we are working to fight aging topically, but not strengthen our collagen, the foundation of our skin, we will continue to age.
How can you strengthen collagen?
Topical Treatments
Retinol or Bakuchiol are great products to use topically, however, you MUST be careful when using retinol, because retinol is known to irritate the skin and cause peeling, redness, and dryness. Retinol also causes sun sensitivity, so always wear an SPF.
I like to start clients out on a retinol 2x a week. After about 2-3 weeks, increase to 3x a week. Repeat this process until you can use retinol daily.
Retinol must be used at night, because while we sleep, our cells repair themselves and this is when retinol is utilized by the skin.
Retinols DO increase sun sensitivity. You MUST wear an SPF daily OR you are creating further damage & speeding up the aging process by breaking down collagen (which the sun is responsible for).
If you’re not interested in retinol, we have an alternative product that is amazing!
Bakuchiol is a retinol alternative that works JUST like retinol without the irritating side effects and doesn’t cause sun sensitivity.
Face Treatments
Microcurrent or Microchanneling are the 2 treatments we recommend the most
Microcurrent stimulates your facial muscles, like a gym workout. Microcurrent strengthens collagen. Again, why fix a house on a cracked foundation? If you don’t strengthen the foundation, the muscles aren’t going to hold. Microcurrent works by strengthening collagen & increasing muscle tone so your face looks younger.
Microchanneling creates microchannels in the skin to allow for product penetration, thus regrowing collagen. Similar to microneedleing, but without the redness, irritation, and downtime. Microchanneling does not damage the skin’s barrier!
The good news is, that you CAN help your skin look younger by using topical skincare products and doing advanced face treatments.
Reason #2 – Our Lifestyle Ages us
Our skin is a reflection of the health of our body. If we are living an unhealthy lifestyle, our skin is going to show that. This is called Extrinsic Aging.
Americans are the unhealthiest and our lifestyles are contributing to our aging process.
20 years ago when I became an esthetician, women didn’t age until their late 30s. Now it seems like women are showing signs in their late 20s; it’s because of our unhealthy lifestyles AND our phones.
Here are some things that age us:
- Smoking
- Alcohol consumption
- Processed foods
- Stress
- Medications
- Sugar
- Dehydration
- Vegan diets (lacking in animal protein aka amino acids)
When we consume things that aren’t good for our bodies, it puts stress on our organs. When our organs are stressed, it causes inflammation. Our skin is also an organ so inflammation will show up in our skin.
Due to Americans eating processed foods, drinking sugary drinks, and constant alcohol consumption, we age faster than ever! This is why women feel the need to start doing Botox in their 20s (but THAT is another blog post).
What can you do to slow this process down?
First, reassess your diet and make some proper changes. Eliminate processed foods, sugars, and alcohol consumption.
People hate when I say this, but add red meat to your diet!
Here’s the thing about red meat – red meat isn’t bad for us if we are eating 100% grass-fed/grass-finished beef. This is what the cow’s natural diet is. The problem with red meat is that our conventional cows are eating grains and getting sick and/or stressed so they are given antibiotics which we then eat and it makes us sick. Conventional cows also are under stress because they’re tied down, which increases cortisol in their body.
We are what we eat. Think about this next time you buy beef!
Over the years I have been researching diet & foods that work for my body. I am now 95% carnivore and eat mainly red meat. I have more energy than ever, my bloating & gassiness post-meal is gone and I can go all day on a water fast & am no longer hangry by the time dinner rolls around.
At the end of the day, pay attention to your body and see what it tells you. If you are bloated or gassy after a meal, your body doesn’t like something you ate. If you feel full but not stuffed, you ate well! A great book I read years ago that helped me understand eating for your body, is Eat Smarter by Shawn Stevenson.
I don’t recommend doing a “diet” those don’t work. Instead, find a lifestyle plan that works for your body.
Reason #3 – Topical Aging
We frantically rush to the store & buy products to attempt to stop or slow down this process. Or we start injecting Botox and Filler in our faces in our 20s.
Have you ever thought about what you are doing to your skin?
Overdoing skincare or facial procedures accelerates this process.
If you’re using skincare products because some influencer or your friend selling skincare told you to, you may need to rethink your skincare routine. What your skin may need is the right skincare products, TLC, and hydration because most over-the-counter products strip your skin of water & oil. This causes the skin to age faster because it’s constantly in a state of repair mode.
Botox is BAD! Botox stops the muscles from working.
Let’s think about this one….what happens when your 90-year-old grandma falls and breaks her hip, leaving her tied to a hospital or rehab bed? She has to go to PT because her muscles have become weak from lack of movement.
Let’s apply that to Botox. What do you think is happening when you stop your facial muscles from moving?
Yep, that’s right, it weakens your facial muscles! This is why you will need more Botox and have to go more frequently because you are damaging your muscles and SPEEDING up aging by putting a toxin in your body.
I don’t know about you, but anything with the word “TOXIN” in it is NEVER going in my body!
Fillers are the same, they fill in the gaps, making the skin “plump” but when they dissolve, they leave holes in that area, because everything is now stretched out.
Again, you’ll have to get more filler next time and more frequently because it’s just not holding up as well.
Plus you look puffy and inflamed due to the excess filler and toxins in your face.
What can you do about it?
First, stop the Botox & filler because you don’t need to look like a clown.
Secondly, find an esthetician who specializes in services, such as Microcurrent and Microchanneling, and start on a good skincare routine both morning and night.
Lastly, change your diet so you are healthy from the inside out.
You don’t have to look your age! It’s what you do to your skin and body that impacts how this process impacts you.
If you have questions or comments, please share them below.
See you next week!
XO
Skin Deep Esthetics Team
